Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Transits of Venus by William Sheehan, John Edward Westfall ISBN: 1-59102-175-8 Publisher: Prometheus Books Pub. Date: 01 March, 2004 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $28.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (1 review)
Rating: 5
Summary: Such an exquisitely rare event... such a great book
Comment: William Sheehan is one of very few authors whose books I purchase as soon as they're published. Though not an historian of astronomy by profession, he is among the elite few who have contributed significantly to popular writings in that genre in the last 15 years or so. In taking on the topic of the transits of Venus, Sheehan, joined in this endeavor by John Westfall, has produced a magnificent volume that any amateur historian of astronomy will surely want to read.
As with all Sheehan efforts, Transits is meticulously researched and detailed, yet written in a lively and conversational tone that is a pleasure to read. Here will be found excellent scientific background: the nature of transits, the importance of transit observations in unlocking the value of the astronomical unit, etc. More importantly, to me, is the rich treatment of the history of transit observations. From Kepler's Rudolphine tables, where the first transits of Venus were accurately predicted, to the life and times of Jeremiah Horrocks, the short-lived English astronomer who first successfully observed one in 1639, to the massive international efforts of the 18th and 19th centuries, this work is filled with detail, photos, diagrams, and immensely satisfying story-telling. Here's an example of the detail and rich prose:
"The long wait for a transit of Venus finally ended at 3:06:22.3 PM Honolulu mean time, December 8 1874, when George Tupman became the first person in 105 years to see a transit of Venus. He had two advantages that gave him a head start: the Hawaiian stations were the closest in the world to the Delislean point of earliest ingress: and he was observing with a spectroscope that allowed him to spot Venus against the sun's inner atmosphere, the chromosphere, a full 39 seconds before it touched the visible solar limb."
Sheehan and Westfall's orientation is so decidedly historical that they make a surprising omission: There is no discussion of the reason for the curious spacing of Venus transits: a pair 8 years apart, followed by a gap of either 105 or 122 years, and then another pair 8 years apart. Perhaps this discussion, about which I think many readers would be curious, was omitted because it can be somewhat technical. More likely, they simply had to make some decisions on what to include and not include based on their particular slant.
At any rate, such an omission is more than balanced by what Sheehan and Westfall do include. I was overjoyed to read such exquisite detail about the observational and photographic instruments used to observe and measure the transits of 1874 and 1882. As far as I know, Sheehan and Westfall are the first authors to offer such thorough coverage in a popular work. There are also many photographs and drawings reproduced from this pair of transits, many more than I have ever seen in print before.
The much-anticipated Venus transit of June 2004 is fast approaching. Perhaps the rarity of this event makes it so compelling to me, as I'm sure it will to others as well. I can think of no better way to prepare than to purchase and read this excellent work.
 |
Title: June 8, 2004--Venus in Transit by Eli Maor ISBN: 0691048746 Publisher: Princeton University Press Pub. Date: 28 February, 2000 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
 |
Title: Kepler's Witch: An Astronomer's Discovery of Cosmic Order Amid Religious War, Political Intrigue, and the Heresy Trial of His Mother by James A. Connor ISBN: 0060522550 Publisher: HarperSanFrancisco Pub. Date: 30 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
 |
Title: The Book Nobody Read: Chasing the Revolutions of Nicolaus Copernicus by Owen Gingerich ISBN: 0802714153 Publisher: Walker & Company Pub. Date: 01 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
 |
Title: Degrees Kelvin: A Tale of Genius, Invention, and Tragedy by David Lindley ISBN: 0309090733 Publisher: Joseph Henry Press Pub. Date: 01 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
 |
Title: Parallax: The Race to Measure the Cosmos by Alan W. Hirshfeld ISBN: 0716737116 Publisher: Henry Holt & Company Pub. Date: 01 April, 2001 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
